If you’re lucky enough to have a big garden, you’ve probably had to excavate new recipes to suit the bumper crop that came from the garden corner that had exactly the right conditions.
In some years it might be recipes for green beans or corn, or there might be so many English cucumbers that you carry bags of them in your car to foist on neighbours.
In the Stockford family garden this year, the bumper crop was sugar pumpkins.
They were a late addition to an already-late garden, which, given the 90 to 100-plus days-to-maturity window, sparked some debate on whether the patch would yield anything at all.
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In fact, while a couple of dozen pumpkins did come off gloriously orange, there were a handful that didn’t make it to the finish line.
In an ode to the vegetable’s versatility, however, and a sign of how loath I was to waste produce given the cost of groceries, I vowed to use them. Quick research revealed that, while green pumpkins probably wouldn’t be the first choice for desserts, they were perfectly good for soups and stews. Perfect. The rest of the crop was headed there anyway.
Let’s take a moment to argue a point: if your only idea of pumpkin is pies and pastries, you’re missing out.
A vegetable that has become synonymous with dessert, the pumpkin itself has shockingly few calories and it packs a nutrient punch. According to Health Canada, there are 44 calories in 125 millilitres of pureed pumpkin and about 1,007 REA of vitamin A. REA is retinol activity equivalents, the common measure for the vitamin).
For comparison, Health Canada considers 900 REA per day to be the acceptable standard for vitamin A consumption in adult men and 700 REA in women. Potassium and vitamin C also feature highly in the nutrient profile.
In terms of cooking, the pumpkin is exceedingly adaptable, and probably easier to use than you think. Roasting pumpkin not only adds flavour, but makes the flesh easily scooped out. It can then become the base for any number of healthy and freezable pumpkin soups and stews. Chunks of raw pumpkin cook in roughly the same time as a pepper and faster than carrot, making it a personal favourite for stir-fries and pasta on weeknights.
The rind is less problematic than you might think. A sharply pointed knife will slice through the skin, and small chops along the edge make peeling only slightly more time consuming than peeling potatoes.
Even with all those uses, and with the freezer rapidly filling, there were still a half-dozen pumpkins left from this year’s garden. Let the recipe digging begin.
The centre of attention
The search for easy, creative ideas led to the concept of a stuffed pumpkin. It appealed in a number of ways: they looked delicious, used up a full pumpkin, fed a group with leftovers to spare and had a visual impact worthy of a Food Network show or magazine spread.
It seemed like the perfect idea for a family gathering.
A number of trial runs came out of my oven leading up to Thanksgiving, culminating in a stuffer filled with pork, cranberry and fall spices like thyme. It was a smash success, and one I planned to repeat and put my own spin on.
A comparison of stuffed pumpkin recipes revealed a common foundation of process and basic stuffing composition (breadcrumbs, egg and broth), a blank slate on which any number of flavour profiles could be applied.
The pumpkin’s subtle, earthy flavour pairs easily with pork and chicken, as well as other fruits like apple and cranberry. Add some southwestern spices, however, and pumpkin will shine just as much with ground beef in a chili (see attached recipe). It also does well in curries. Cheese or cream sauces like Alfredo might add richness, while mushrooms fit with that earthy taste.
A stuffed pumpkin provides any number of ways for the cook to get creative if they want a truly show-stopping addition to their holiday table this year.
Make a plan
Choose your flavour profile. Do you want classic North American holiday flavours or something a little more adventurous? Based on that choice, a quick search on foodie websites will help inspire your stuffing. Look for pumpkin-based savoury dishes that match your theme and note any common ingredients across multiple recipes.
A look in the fridge can help inspire a meal centrepiece without requiring much for an extra grocery run, which is always a plus in an already expensive season.
Prepare your pumpkin
Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin, angling the knife outward at 45 degrees. This should create a “cap” for decorative impact. Make sure the hole is big enough to easily access the inside of the pumpkin with your hand and a spoon. Scoop out the seeds and internal flesh. Rub the inside of the pumpkin with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Get the oven ready
Preheat the oven to 350 F and get a cookie sheet ready. Parchment paper on the cookie sheet will make clean up easier, if any filling spills during cooking.
The preheated oven can also be used to toast breadcrumbs if you’re using fresh bread. Dehydrating gives the cubes more capacity to later absorb savoury moisture from the stuffing.
The stovetop
Sauté onion and minced garlic in a pan. Proportions are the cook’s choice, although one onion and anywhere from two to three cloves of garlic usually does the trick. If celery is in your recipe, it can be added to the pan at the same time as the onion.
Add your meat of choice and cook until browned. Then add any other vegetables and spices and cook until tender. Salt to taste.
Final mix
Mix the remaining stuffing ingredients with the stovetop mixture in a large bowl.
Depending on the size of your pumpkin, anywhere from five to eight cups of breadcrumbs might be needed. If in doubt, opt for more. The excess stuffing can be saved and cooked separately in a casserole dish.
Add about two cups of broth (or other savoury liquid, like a cream-based pasta sauce). Cheese (about a cup) is another option to add richness.
Add two eggs. This will help glue the stuffing together.
Stuff and cook
Fill the prepared pumpkin with stuffing and place on cookie sheet. Top with the pumpkin “cap.” You may want to put a spring form pan over the stuffed pumpkin while baking, for added structural support.
Cook for an hour and a half, remove the top, and put back in the oven for another half hour to 45 minutes, or until a fork slides easily into the rind. Note: Test both the top and bottom of the pumpkin to make sure the whole thing is cooked.
Transfer to serving dish. Cut into wedges like a cake to serve.
Things to remember
Watch your moisture levels when designing your recipe. Too much moisture may translate into soggy stuffing. That’s one of the reasons the example recipe includes tomato paste rather than fresh tomato. Similarly, if you’re using anything frozen, make sure to thaw and drain before adding to the pan.
Give yourself enough time. The prep for a stuffed pumpkin is probably no more complicated than the average weekday meal. It’s the cook time that puts this into “special occasion” territory.
Non-pumpkin adaptations
If you don’t have a pumpkin, any other kind of winter squash should work.
A stuffed butternut or acorn squash should follow much the same template, but should likely be roasted and served in halves rather than as a whole, since they lack either the squat profile or flat bottom that allows pumpkin to easily sit on its own.
Cooking time may also have to be shortened. Start with 45 minutes and watch carefully afterward. A butternut squash, also, will require additional scooping, since the hollow of the squash does not extend into the upper part of the gourd. Extra squash can easily be saved for future use.
Ringin’ in the New Year chili-stuffed pumpkin
Whether as an ambitious-looking side dish or the main attraction, this roasted pumpkin — stuffed with warm chili spices, veggies and ground beef — will be the centrepiece of any table this holiday season.
Prep time: 45 minutes | Total time: 2.5 hours | Serves: 12
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large sugar pumpkin
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pound ground hamburger
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 1 (540 ml) can black beans
- 3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed and drained
- 1 (156 ml) can tomato paste
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika or chipotle powder
- 1/4 cup cilantro (optional)
- 1 tsp cumin
- Salt
- 6-8 cups bread cubes, chopped into one-inch pieces
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 eggs
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place baking rack in the centre of the oven, with no other racks above it.
Drizzle olive oil into a large pan and heat over medium. Add onions and sauté until starting to turn transparent, stirring occasionally.
While onions are sautéing, spread bread cubes in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. Place in the oven until lightly toasted, checking often to avoid burning. Remove from oven and set aside.
Add garlic to the pan. Sauté for two to three minutes.
Add ground beef and cook until meat is browned. Drain mixture if needed.
Add peppers, cook until just softened.
Add black beans, tomato paste and all spices through to cumin.
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt to taste.
Prepare pumpkin while meat mixture is simmering. Keep stem attached, if possible. Take a sharply pointed knife and insert at the top, about halfway between centre and the pumpkin’s rim, at a 45-degree (tilting away from the centre) angle. Cut in a circle around the centre of the pumpkin to create a “cap,” making sure to maintain the angle of the cut. Scoop out stringy flesh and seeds and coat the inside of the hollowed-out pumpkin with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Transfer meat mixture to a large bowl, add bread cubes, cheese, broth and eggs. Stir until well mixed.
Stuff hollowed out pumpkin with filling and replace pumpkin top “hat.” For larger sugar pumpkins, you may want to place a spring form pan ring over the stuffed pumpkin, for added structural support while cooking.
Place pumpkin on a cookie sheet. Cook in preheated oven for 90 minutes. Remove pumpkin top. Cook for another 30 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces the pumpkin’s rind.
Remove from oven, replace cap and cool for 10 minutes.
Transfer to serving dish.
